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Abstract

Cannulation of small retinal vessels is often prohibitively difficult for surgeons, since physiological tremor often exceeds the narrow diameter of the vessel (40-150 μm). Using an active handheld micromanipulator, we introduce an image-guided robotic system that reduces tremor and provides smooth, scaled motion during the procedure. By tracking the workspace viewed under the microscope, the micromanipulator assists during the approach, puncture, and injection of the procedure. In experiments performed ex vivo by an experienced retinal surgeon on 40-60 μm vessels in porcine eyes, the success rate was 29% (2/7) without the aid of the system and 63% (5/8) with the aid of the system.